Leeds Animation Workshop is a not-for-profit, cooperative company, which produces and distributes animated films and films on social and educational issues.

The organisation began in 1976 as a group of women friends who came together
to make a film about the need for pre-school childcare. After completing WHO
NEEDS NURSERIES? - WE DO! the group was formally established in 1978 as Leeds
Animation Workshop.

Throughout its history the Workshop has been run by women,
who have carried out all stages of the production process, from initial research
to final distribution.

The films are all produced in consultation with organisations
and individuals involved in the relevant field. The Workshop specialises in
making complex or sensitive issues more accessible to audiences, and at times
offering an alternative point of view.

As well as production and distribution,
the Workshop has been involved in many other activities, such as organising
screenings of films by women and black directors, and providing workshop sessions
in basic animation for adults and young people.

Book references

Antonia Lant: "Women's Independent Cinema in Eighties Britain: the Case of Leeds Animation Workshop" in Friedman, L., ed. (1993): "British Cinema and Thatcherism" [London, Taylor and Francis] - first published in the US by Univ of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.